Author: Stephen Fenech

The number of Australian homes and businesses connecting to higher speeds on the NBN have more than doubled in the past four months thanks to lower prices and a 50 per cent boost of additional bandwidth. More than a million people have upgraded their internet speeds since the start of 2018 thanks to wholesale pricing changes which allowed customers to move up to the 50Mbps speed tier at no additional cost. And the good news is there are more wholesale deals on the way starting next month that will deliver even better value and flexibility for customers. These changes will…

Samsung has revealed the pricing and availability of its stunning 2018 TV range which incorporate a host of new features and innovations to enhance your viewing experience. The line-up includes the new flagship QLED TVs alongside Premium UHD and UHD panels. At every level of the range is stylish design, smart connectivity and impressive picture quality which can be enjoyed in any viewing environment. Samsung was also addressed the growing demand from Australians for larger screen televisions. Seven models in the range are 75-inch and above. And because of the higher quality and ultra-high definition resolution, viewers can watch a…

Telstra has released a new Smart Wi-Fi Booster that allows customers to improve their wireless coverage and extend their connections to the black spots in their home. Australians don’t always get perfect wireless coverage due to the size and shape of their homes. And with the growing number of wireless devices in our home, this poses a real issue for customers. With the Telstra Smart Wi-Fi Booster, users now have the ability to create a stronger network no matter where in their house they are connecting. The device, available exclusively for Telstra customers, works with Telstra’s broadband modems. Users can…

If you’re looking for a value mobile phone plan then take a look at the new ALDImobile 1 Year Super Pack which will go on sale next week with twice the data that was offered last year. Going on sale from Wednesday April 18 while stocks last, the ALDImobile 1 Year Super Pack includes 80GB of data – which works out at more than 6GB a month (6.66GB to be precise). The plan also includes unlimited calls and texts. It can be purchased at your local Aldi store for a one-off cost of $299. At that cost it works out…

eBay, the popular online marketplace, has launched a new QuickList service that makes it possible to list an item for sale in less than 60 seconds. eBay has been operating in Australia for more than 18 years and is visited by more than 11 million people. Consumer to consumer (C2C) sellers have been seeing some solid results on the platform with an average of $706 in sales per year. Meanwhile the average Australian household is sitting on more than $5,400 worth of stuff that can now be even more easily sold on eBay. The new QuickList service will enable every…

Kogan has launched a new low-cost NBN Internet service available to millions of homes around Australia with pay-as-you-go plans starting at less than $2 per day. The Kogan Internet NBN plans are available from today with connections supplied through Vodafone as supplied by NBN Co – not the mobile network. The plans start at $58.90 per month plus an upfront modem cost of $69. There are three plan options starting with Bronze (NBN 12 tier), Silver (NBN 50 tier) and Gold (NBN 100 tier). As a launch special, Kogan is offering the Silver plan with 50Mbps download speeds for the…

Audi has produced a powerhouse with its new flagship SQ7 TDI SUV that delivers on style, performance, innovation, features and its impressive on-board technology. The Audi SQ7 is a 48-volt mild hybrid with an all-new 4.0 V8 TDI engine that delivers 320kW of power. And it sounds like it too. When we were driving it for the first time the sound of the rumbling engine made is think we had it in the wrong gear. But that’s how it sounds, and after a while you get to like that engine growl. It’s also the world’s first seven seat diesel SUV…

Panasonic has revealed its impressive 2018 line-up of televisions, Blu-ray players and audio products as the technology and innovation company celebrates its 100-year anniversary. Headlining the range are the latest OLED TVs which incorporate a proprietary Hollywood Cinema Experience (HCX) 4K processor. Panasonic has enjoyed a 20-year collaboration with Hollywood with many of the industry’s experts choosing the company’s OLED TVs as reference monitors to support their creative process and colour correction. “Panasonic’s superior image processing techniques have been finessed over decades of TV development with exceptional blacks and outstanding colour accuracy,” said Doug Campbell, Panasonic AV and imaging category…

It’s time to get updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews with Episode 294 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman takes a swipe at the telcos, how I got my electricity bills down to $0, Optus demonstrates its 5G network and we chat with the Optus head of networks Dennis Wong. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the Jura Z8 pro-level coffee machine, the new 9.7-inch sixth generation iPad that now has Apple Pencil support and the LG Instaview smart refrigerator.…

How much do you love your pet? If you’ve got a cat or dog, they’re part of the family and have also become our viewing partners when we’re bingeing the latest shows from Netflix. On the eve of International Pet Today, Netflix has released some surprising details about our viewing habits – with our pets. They are already great companions and like to be near us or snuggle right next to us on the couch when watching TV. According to Netflix, 70 per cent of Australian members have watched a Netflix program with their pet. More than half, that’s 59…

Apple has announced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Editions with a remarkable red glass enclosure with a portion of the profits going directly to the Global Fund to assist people living with HIV/AIDS. The new (PRODUCT)RED iPhones will be available on Friday, April 13 in selected countries including Australia and New Zealand with pre-orders kicking off tonight at 10:30 PM AEST. “This special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone features a stunning red and black colour combination and also offers customers the opportunity to make an impact in fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s…

The Two Blokes Talking Tech are back! Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long bring you Episode 338 of the popular podcast that takes a look at the week’s biggest tech issues and products. On this week’s show, how you can do a Facebook stocktake to protect your data, we take a look back at the Apple education event in Chicago and also roundup the latest NBN news including the resignation of CEO Bill Morrow. Also on the program, how Stephen achieved a $0 electricity bill with his SonnenFlat system, Optus showcases its 5G network on the Gold…

The epic new trailer for Solo – a Star Wars story – has just been released and it’s sure to send diehard fans into a frenzy as they await the May 24 release date. Starring Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, the film is an origin story about how the lovable smuggler and scoundrel embarks on a life of crime. Judging by the trailer, the movie has a heist feel to it with Solo meeting Lando Calrissian and a bunch of other renegades as they organise a “job”. More importantly the film will bring together Han Solo and his beloved sidekick…

Receiving your energy bill can be frightening. Shocking is probably a better word because shocked is exactly how most Australians feel when they open it. But there is a way out, I know – I’ve already found it. It involves solar panels, a storage battery, a German company called Sonnen and its new SonnenFlat system. In fact, I became SonnenFlat customer number one in Australia and now my electricity bill is $0. And I’m going to tell you how yours can be $0 too. Here’s how I did it. On July 1 last year I called Natural Solar, Australia’s leading…

HTC’s U11 Life is one of those devices that certainly grabs your attention. It has an impressive design, a host of great features and an affordable price which makes it a compelling offering for customers. Tech Guide has been test driving the U11 Life for a little while now and it’s “just right” in so many areas. It has a “just right” screen size at 5.2 inches, it has a “just right” size that fits nicely in your hand and a “just right” operating system with Android One. This is one of the first devices running Android One. And Android…

Meryl Streep to replace Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia? That’s what Sportsbet thinks and they’ve made her the $2 favourite to take over the iconic role in Star Wars Episode IX. Sportsbet has installed acting royalty Meryl Streep as the favourite to head to a galaxy far, far away and assume the role left by Carrie Fisher who passed away in December 2016. A petition to cast the Oscar-winning actress in the role attracted more than 10,000 signatures. But pundits are also assuming Princess Leia will be written out of Star Wars Episode IX by writer/director JJ Abrams who helmed…

We were in Chicago recently for the Apple education event, it’s a city that has been the location for numerous movies including one of our favourites – The Untouchables. We tracked down the actual locations of some of key scenes of the movie set in the Prohibition Era of the early 1930s. The film, directed by Brian De Palma, tells the story Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) and his band of Untouchables (including Sean Connery in his Academy Award-winning role as Malone) in their pursuit of gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro). Chicago has been the backdrop for other memorable films…

If you own one of the Sphero Star Wars robots – BB8, BB9E or R2-D2 – you’ll discover it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Sphero has just launched The Last Jedi “Watch With Me” update so the robots can react to the latest film. The “Watch With Me” update has been launched to coincide with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD. If you have any or all of these Sphero Star Wars robots you can enjoy their individual reactions to the film as you’re watching it. They all individually react to different…

Optus has launched a world-first 5G showcase on the Gold Coast that will be open to the public during the Commonwealth Games to demonstrate the impressive capabilities of the next-gen network. The Optus 5G Live site at Kurrawa will offer a hands-on experience of what’s possible with 5G technology. Tech Guide had a hands-on look at the showcase which was demonstrating 5G use cases like streaming 8K video on the move, network speed and latency, virtual reality and robotics. Optus will launch a 5G fixed wireless device next year for major metropolitan networks that will be capable of speeds up to…

NBN Co CEO Bill Morrow has announced he will step down from the role at the end of 2018, just shy of his 5-year anniversary in the job and two years short of the completion of the high-speed network. Mr Morrow, formerly head of Vodafone Hutchison, became NBN Co CEO in 2014 a few months after the Liberal Government came to power. At that time the NBN was a “trainwreck” according to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who praised Morrow for doing an “amazing job”. “I believe that as the company prepares to confront the new challenges ahead, this is the right…